Connector



United States Patent 3,102,766 CONNECTOR Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 54,784 3 Claims. (Q1. 339-112) This invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly, to insulating sleeves for links and lugs adapted to withstand high ambient temperature conditions.

It is commonplace in the connector art to provide an insulating sleeve over the area of juncture between a link or a lug and a conductor attached thereto. This sleeve serves several purposes. it keeps the end of the conductor insulation from fraying and cracking. It also continues the conductor insulation up to and over part of the connector to minimize the uninsulated surface of the connector-conductor combination, and prevents the entry of foreign bodies thereto.

Under normal conditions it has been customary to utilize a plastic sleeve which may be preattached to the connector. The conductor is inserted into the sleeve and connector; and an indent is made through the sleeve to crimp the connector to the conductor. A connector of this type is illustrated in the US. Patent No. 2,429,585 granted to Rogoil. The sleeve must be resilient to transmit the applied indent iorce to the connector without rupturing.

Unfortunately, such plastic sleeves may not be nsea'ble at the very high ambient temperatures encountered in modern space travel. I

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an insulating sleeve for a connector, which is capable of withstanding very high ambient temperatures.

Another object is to provide a high temperature sleeve which will protect the end of the insulation of the conductor at its juncture with the connector.

A further object is to provide a high temperature sleeve which will permit the connector to be crimped or indented to the conductor inserted therein.

A feature of this invention is a ceramic or ceramic coated metal sleeve which is retained to a connector co axial thereto by resilient means.

These and other objects and teatures of this invention will become more apparent by reference to the following v description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 7

FIG. 1A is an elevation in partial section of one embodiment of this invention as applied to a lug;

FIG. 1B is a cross-section taken along line 1B-1B of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is an elevation in partial section of another embodiment of this invention as applied to a lug; the log is shown prior to the insertion of a conductor;

FIG. 2B is an enlarged detail view of part of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is an elevation in partial section of yet another embodiment of this invention as applied to a lug;

FIG. 3B is a cross-section taken along line 313-313 of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A is an elevation in partial section of the embodiment of FIG; 1A as applied to a link or splice;

FIG. 4B is a cross-section taken along line 4B4B of FIG. 4A; and

FIG. 5 is an elevation in partial section of still another embodiment of this invention as applied to la lug; the lug is shown prior to the insertion of a conductor.

As is seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a lug 1 has two pairs of opposed, parallel grooves, 2 and 3 on its body 4. Disposed in each pair of grooves is a rectangular 0 spring 6 and 7. A tubular sleeve 8 which may be made of ceramic or ceramic coated material is disposed about the lug 1. If the sleeve is completely ceramic it may be made of a high dielectric such as steatite or alumina. If the sleeve is made of ceramic over metal, then a high dielectric ceramic having a ooeflicient of expansion equal to the metal over the temperature range :of interest must be used. Sleeve 8 has a pair of internal annular grooves 9 and =10. The distance between grooves 9 and 10 is equal to the distance between lgroove pairs 2 and 3. Springs 6 and '7 are tires to expand into grooves 9 and 10 and retain the sleeve 8 in fixed axial relation to the lug 1. A strong axial pull on the sleeve 8, relative to the lug 1, will snap the springs 6 and 7 out of grooves :9 and 10, and displace the sleeve 8 from the body 4 of the lug 1. The bared end of an insulated conductor 11 may then be inserted into the socket 5, and an indent 12 made therein to secure the lug l. to the lconductor 11. The lug 1 may then be axially pushed back into place, relative to the body of the lug, with springs 6 and 7 snapping into grooves 8 and 9. lt may be noted that the sleeve is proportiontioned to be coextensive with the body of the lug and the end of the insulation of the conductor; thereby insulating the body of the lug, and the bated portion of the conductor, and supporting and protecting the end of the insulation of the conductor. This embodiment is especially adapted for conductors having a thick insulation.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the rectangular configuration of the body 204 of the lug 201. Additional sidewalls \as at 2'11,

212, 213 and 214, if necessary, may be provided to form grooves of s-uflicient depth to fully accommodate circular C springs 266 and 287. Springs 206 and 207 cooperate as previously described with internal annular "grooves 2439 and 210 in the tubular shield.

The embodiment of FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrates yet another spring and groove variation. As described with respect to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a lug 301 is provided with parallel sets of grooves 3M, and 303 on its body 304. In this case, however, the grooves lie in a plane which is tilted slightly out of perpendicular to the axis of the lug. Helical internal grooves 30? and 310 are provided in sleeve 308. As before, rectangular C springs 306 and 397 are disposed in grooves 302, 309 and 303, 310, respectively. Here a rotation of the sleeve with respect to the lug body will cause the springs to ride out of the helical grooves, freeing the sleeve.

The embodiment of FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrates the spring and groove arrangement of FIGS. 1A and 1B as applied to a link or splice. In this case, at least one sleeve internal annular groove 409 may be widened to accommodate any variations in the length of the link which may be caused, for example, by the multiple indentations made therein or by manufacturing tolerances.

The embodiment of FIG. 5 illustrates still another spring and recess combination as applied to an entirely ceramic sleeveSllS. vIn this embodiment, the side wall of each groove closest to the adjacent end of the sleeve may be formed in a plane normal to the sleeve axis, while the opposite wall of each groove may be formed into a less abrupt shoulder by shaping it, for example, as part of a conical surface as shown in FIGURE 5. As is seen in the figure, the lug Sill may be stored partially disengaged from its sleeve 5%. The lug Sill may be crimped to an inserted conductor (not shown) and then thrust into its sleeve 508. This arrangement of a planar radial side wall in combination with a conical or arcuately shaped side wall permits the easy insertion of the sleeve but prevents its easy removal once it has been completely installed on its lug.

The invention has thus been described 'but it is desired A to be understood that it is not confined to the particular forms or usages shown and described. The same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, and therefore, the right is broadly claimed to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appendent claims, and by means of which objects of this invention are attained .and new results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many that can be employed to obtain these objects and accomplish these results.

I claim:

1. An insulated electrical connector, comprising: an electrical contact member including a longitudinally extending malleable metal tube portion of given outer diameter adapted to be crimped onto a conductor inserted therein; a longitudinally extending substantially rigid sleeve member having a dielectric outer surface and an inner diameter greater than said given diameter, said sleeve being disposed in external coaxial relation to said tube portion; a first pair of recess means lying in part in a common plane substantially normal to the axis of said tube, including a recess on the outer surface of said tube and a recess in the inner surface of said sleeve; a second pair of recess means including a recess in the outer surface of said tube and a recess in the inner surface of v 30 .said sleeve each equally spaced from the corresponding recess in said first pair of recess means; and a pair of resiliently compressible split ring members disposed coaxially to said tube, each having an inner portion engaging a corresponding one of said recesses in said sleeve, to position the inner surface of said sleeve in spaced relation to the outer surface of said tube and to prevent relative longitudinal motion therebetween.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the inner portion of each split ring member and the corresponding recess in said tube prevents rotation of said rings relative to said tube, and each recess in said sleeve inner surface comprises a helical groove adapted to cam the outer portion of each of said split ring members out of said groove in response to rotation of said sleeve member relative to said tube portion.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein said rigid sleeve is formed of metal tube with a ceramic overlay.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. AN INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR, COMPRISING: AN ELECTRICAL CONTACT MEMBER INCLUDING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING MALLEABLE METAL TUBE PORTION OF GIVEN OUTER DIAMETER ADAPTED TO BE CRIMPED ONTO A CONDUCTOR INSERTED THEREIN; A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID SLEEVE MEMBER HAVING A DIELECTRIC OUTER SURFACE AND AN INNER DIAMETER GREATER THAN SAID GIVEN DIAMETER, SAID SLEEVE BEING DISPOSED IN EXTERNAL COAXIAL RELATION TO SAID TUBE PORTION; A FIRST PAIR OF RECESS MEANS LYING IN PART IN A COMMON PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF SAID TUBE, INCLUDING A RECESS ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID TUBE AND A RECESS IN THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID SLEEVE; A SECOND PAIR OF RECESS MEANS INCLUDING A RECESS IN THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID TUBE AND A RECESS IN THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID SLEEVE EACH EQUALLY SPACED FROM THE CORRESPONDING RECESS IN SAID FIRST PAIR OF RECESS MEANS; AND A PAIR OF RESILIENTLY COMPRESSIBLE SPLIT RING MEMBERS DISPOSED COAXIALLY TO SAID TUBE, EACH HAVING AN INNER PORTION ENGAGING A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID RECESSES IN SAID SLEEVE, TO POSITION THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID SLEEVE IN SPACED RELATION TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID TUBE AND TO PREVENT RELATIVE LONGITUDINAL MOTION THEREBETWEEN. 